Grain-cleaning machine



(No M00181.)

J. O. FISHER. GRAIN CLEANING MACHINE.

No. 414,510. Patented Nov. 5 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

JOAB G. FISHER, OF BELOIT, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR TO HARVEY M. WADLEIGH, OFSTEVENS POINT, WISCONSIN.

GRAIN-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,510, dated November5, 1889.

Application filed July 29, 1889. Serial No. 319,107. (No model.) i

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OAB G. FISHER, of Be loit, in the county ofMitchell, and in the State of Kansas, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Grain Cleaning Machines; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to grain-cleaning machines; and it consists incertain peculiarities of construction, as will be fully set forthhereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevationthrough a machine embodying my present improvements. Fig. 2 is an innerend elevation, and Fig. 3 an out-er end elevation, of the head end ofthe cylinder-casing. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 aof Figs. 2 and 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are elevations of the opposite sides ofthe agitatondislr.

My present invention is an improvement on the machine set forth inUnited States Letters Patent No. 393,635, granted to me N overnber 27,1888, the portions of the grain-cleaning machine not shown in my presentdrawings being substantially identical with the corresponding partsshown in my said prior patent, as hereinafter explained.

As in my prior patent just named, my present machine is mounted on asuitable frame, the main vertical timbers A A and horizontallongitudinal timbers B B and transverse beams O O C O of which are shownin Fig. 1.-

In this application I have not deemed it necessary to show the upperpart of the machine, as the feeding-hopper, sieve-frame, airt'runk,suction-spout, automatic hopper, and attachments are precisely as insaid patent herein-before referred to; and my present improvementsrelate solely to the scouring-casings and communicating or adjacentparts.

D is the main shaft, extending longitudinally through the machine andhaving suit-- able hearings in the main frame, having a driving-pulley Eat one end and at the other end suitable belt-and-shaft connections (notshown) with the sieve fram'e, (also not shown, but precisely as in saidformer patent.)

which are secured by bolts h h and nuts circumferential projections of adisk 2', having a central opening i for the passage therethrough of themain shaft D, and above this is a transverse opening 9', surrounded onone side of the disk by a casing J, which rises vertically above the topof the extension II of the main casing II and receives the dependingspout j of the automatic hopper J, (this hopper and its spout beingshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and being identical with the said partsin my said prior patent-,) while on its inner side the disk 11 isprovided with a series of spirally-arranged ribs 6 4?, extending inwardabout half-way from the circumference to the center. The head I isfurther provided with horizontally-projecting annular flanges i to formseats for the end edges of the main casing II and its extension H, andthe disk t has a similar annular flange to form a seat for the end edgesof the stationary perforated scouring-casing K, the other ends of thesaid casings H and K being supported on similar annular flanges on thetail end piece L. This stationary perforated scouring-casingis'practically the same as in my said prior patent, having a stationarypartition-plate k, se-

cured to the inside of the casing by an annular flange 7c, and next thispartition is is a rotatable valve or plate k both the stationary plateand rotatable valve having large central openings k registering witheach other, (shown in black in Fig. 1,) and each of these parts has aseries of passages or openings it around its periphery, (also asshown inblack in Fig. 1,) and the rotatable valve Z0 has a suitable operatinghandle or lever 70 secured thereto and projecting up out through the noscouring-casing K and main casing H, so that by rotating the plate orvalve (which is mounted on an annular hub or flange I0 turned from thestationary plate and forming the walls of the described central openingit in one direction the openings or passages k in one plate will exactlyregister with those in the other plate, while a movement of the leverin=the opposite direction will serve to instantly close said passages kall exactly as in my said prior patent.

The agitator-disk M, the opposite sides of which are shown in detail inFigs. 5 and (3, is provided with a hub m and central perforation 'm' forthe reception of the main shaft D, to which it is secured, as by screwsm 011?, in the space inside the scouring-casing K, at the head endthereof, between the stationary plate k and the head I. The hub m isprovided with a series (five, more or less) of radiallyprojectingagitator-wings m while all around the periphery of the disk M, onthesame side, are other agitating-wings m m somewhat shorter than thoseon the hub, and preferably of the generally triangular shape shown bestin Fig. 1, extending to nearly the outer circular line of the wings mwhile the opposite side of the disk M is provided with a series ofspirally-arranged ribs m m extending the entire distance from thecircumference to the hub m.

Inside the stationary casing K, in the space between the rotatable valveor plate 70 and the end piece L, at the tail end, is located therevolving scouring-cylinder N, consisting of two disks N N (having hubsn n properly secured to the main shaft D,) united by series of flatstrips n n n, spirally disposed or at an angle from one disk to theother, but without any perforated cylinder such as was shown in my saidprior patent. The tail end piece L is provided with a large centralcircular opening, which receives a rearwardly-projecting annular flangeN 3 on the disk N and a series of wings or division-plates n n extendfrom this flange N to .the hub n of the disk N forming air-passages tothe interior of the revolving scouring-cylinder N, while a stationarycylinder 0 surrounds the described large central circular opening in theend piece L, extending from said end piece back to the rear verticaltimberA' of the main frame, and being open at both ends, so as to forman airpassage communicating with the described divided air-passagesbetween the wings a a just named.

vThe stationary casing K has a dischargespout 19 at its tail end leadinginto the main discharge P of the machine, and the head end of saidcasing K, which receives the agitatordisk M, is provided on its innersurface with spirally-arranged ribs k W, while beneath the scouringapparatus is a dust-chamber Q, all as in my before-named prior patent.The head end piece I has a series of circumferential openings I I,forming communications between the space inside the main casing H andthe space 61 inside the casing-extension H, and the tail end piece L hassimilar open-- ings L communicating with the discharge P. The operationof my present device is, in general, much the same as that of my saidprior patent, the cleaning of the grain in both cases being reallyeifected by the attrition of one kernel upon another, while all thegrain is being kept constantly in motion, and the dust being drawn oficontinuously as it is freed from the grain, together with the outercuticle of the grain, thus ridding wheat, for instance, of a troublesomeproduct technically called red dog, and thereby shorteningthe process ofmilling and producing a whiter flour, especially in the lower grades,while the friction of the grain upon itself heats it, thus dispensingwith the necessity in cold climates of a wheat-heater and putting thegrain in an admirable condition for grinding.

The present construction of my agitating and securing devices is muchbetter adapted to accomplish the above-named result than that shown inmy said prior patent. As the grain is fed from the automatic hopper Jthrough its spout j into the casing J it now passes directly to thecenter of the head end of scouring-casing K, which contains the agitatordisk M, (and which end I term the scouring-box,) instead of being fed inat the upper part of said box, as before, and hence is immediatelysubjected to the action of the two annular series of radially-disposedagitating-wings, which serve, as the disk M revolves, to keep the grainin a constantlychanging position, and thoroughly subject every externalportion of each kernel thereof to contact and attrition with every partof every adjacent kernel, the circulation of the air and suction of thefan freeing the grain continuously from dust and the particles rubbedoff, as described, and the grain being guided by the spirally-arrangedribs 10 k to the space between the disk M and partition is, and then,bymeans of thespiral ribs m m on the back of said disk I, being forcedthrough the central opening k (or that and the edge openings) of thepartition is and rotatable plate 70 into the revolving scouringcylinderN, whose action and that of its ventilating-fans R (secured within thecylinder N to its disks, as in my prior patent) completes the cleaningof the grain and the separation therefrom of the objectionableparticles, the action of this scouring-cylinder and its fan being muchbetter and the circulation of the air therethrough freer than when I em-I constructed is a great improvement, and the ribbed disk 2' (on whichthe greatest Wear must come) can be removed therefrom if broken or Wornout and replaced by another -without disturbing the balance of themachine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a grain-cleaning machine, the combination, with a stationarycasing and a revolving shaft passing longitudinally therethrough, of anagitator-disk secured to said shaft, having spirally-arranged ribs onone side and series of projecting agitator-wings on the other side,substantially as set forth.

2. In a grain-cleaning machine, the combination, with a stationarycylinder, of a head consisting of an annular shell withinwardlyprojecting retaining-lugs, and a removable ribbed disk havingcircumferential projections secured to the projections on the annularshell, substantially as set forth.

3. In a grain-cleaning machine, the combi nation, with a stationaryscouring-casing, of a revolving shaft passinglongitudinallytherethrough, and disks mounted on said shaft and connected togethersolely by series of flat strips spirally disposed, extending at an anglefrom the periphery of one disk to that of the other disk, and other flatstrips forming a fan, substantially as set forth.

4. In a grain-cleaning machine, the combination, with a stationarycasing, and a revolving shaft passing longitudinally th erethrough, ofan agitator-disk having an extended hub secured to said shaft, a seriesof agitating- Wings projecting radially from said hub, and a series ofother agitating-win gs radially disposed around the periphery of saiddisk on the same side as the first-named series of wings and extendingto about the outer circular line of the latter, but not in radial linetherewith, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atBeloit, in the county of Mitchell and State of Kansas, in the presenceof two witnesses 1 J OAB C. FISHER.

Witnesses: I

H. C. OWEN, M. 0. Mason.

